It has lots of names, some call it the Canon Rebel XTi, others call it the EOS 400D, and in some quarters it is known as the EOS Kiss Digital X. By whatever name it is called, most describe the camera as an “entry level” DSLR. I guess it gets that label because of its cost, but in reality what I have found is that it is about as good as any DSLR gets. Yes, it does not have the build of the 1D series cameras, but wow, despite the fact that it has a plastic body, the images it produces are comparable with the best DSLRs made.

I bought the camera primarily because of its weight. As I have said before, I like small light weight cameras. It sure helps out on long walks across muddy bogs, creeks, and those steep slopes I inevitably run across while seeking the perfect landscape. And, frankly, when I bought the camera, I expected that I would be disappointed with the image quality since I own the Canon 1Ds Mark II, a remarkable camera that produces stunning photographs. Well, I was wrong. And another wonderful result is that I no longer have to spend hours and hours cleaning up dust spots from my shots. On the images I have shot with the XTi, there aren’t any dust spots to deal with. For me, that was a major time saver and a real plus when post processing shots.

I like the feel of the little beast. It fits in my hands perfectly. I find myself picking it up more often than I do the larger and heavier 1Ds Mark II. This makes it the perfect “street” camera too. It’s small and discrete, easy to hide. And, frankly, most folks who see me shooting with it think I’m just another tourist taking snap shots. I like that. Else I get bogged down in long discussions lots of times about my 1Ds Mark II — cause some folks really want to discuss high end cameras.

And, it’s human machine interface is really well thought out. Lots of easy to understand buttons and a very nice LCD panel on the back with lots of information. Images can be quickly reviewed with an excellent histogram and a good display of blown out areas on shots. In other words, the engineers paid attention to little stuff when they designed the interface.

And, I sure liked the price. It cost about 1/10th of what my 1Ds Mark II sells for. I know, it doesn’t have the snob appeal of the top of the line DSLR, but what the heck, I can buy 10 of them for one of those. DUH.

Recently I used the camera to do some wildlife shots, and the results were simply awesome. Like this shot of a marine iguana photographed in the Galapagos Islands.

Course, I do other stuff with it too. Like this shot of a ‘32 Ford hotrod. I do have some interesting friends.

And, once in a while I do artsy stuff, you know, like this shot of a window in an old North Carolina log house. I know, but I like it anyway.

And, occasionally I take a shot of the old clock in my house, simply because I find the clock to be a good subject to test image quality. Even when shooting at 1/13th of a second, as in this shot. Long story about this old clock. Short version: my grandmother borrowed the clock from a neighbor about 90 years ago and it was never returned. Some day I need to find that neighbor and give them the clock back.

BTW, if you want details about all the stuff the 400D can do, go have a look at the Canon site, or read one of the professional reviews. Frankly, such stuff bores me. I always skip the technical stuff and go look at the sample shots they post. Most of them are pants and it makes me want to pick up the camera and shoot it myself, unfortunately that means buying the camera since the manufacturers don’t send me stuff for review. Drat.

But, I do confess that Steve Sanders sometimes will let me borrow one of the cameras he is reviewing. That’s cool, especially since he gets the cameras before they hit the streets. But lately I haven’t had the chance to stop by his office to see what’s lying around waiting to be borrowed for a day or two. Man would I like to get my hands on the 1Ds Mark III. I sure don’t want to have to buy one to see just how good it is.

Course, even if I did like the 1Ds Mark III, I would have to go mortgage my house to buy one. Something I’m not likely to do anytime soon. In the meantime, I will just keep shooting away with the 400D, loving it. And asking myself the question, if a $700 camera can produce images as good as a $8,000 camera, why would I want to buy the $8,000 camera?

And BTW, if you haven’t figured out yet that I highly recommend the 400D, I do. I would not hesitate to take the camera anywhere because I know for sure that it will produce very high quality images. Now, if I could just become better at photography. And the meantime, Canon has just announced the 450D. Dern, just when I was happy. Anybody got one I can test?